Paris. I say the name and it’s just synonymous with love and romance, isn’t it? I couldn’t help but think about wide-eye lovers chasing each other through beautifully crafted streets and curling up to a wine and cheese board underneath the Eiffel Tower.
Since childhood, my visions of Paris always revolved around the ‘perfect’ romance. Yet it only took a few short moments into my trip to realise that maybe this ‘perfect’ romance was between me, myself and I.
It is dangerously easy to get swept away with the magic of this city; the lights, the people, the energy, it radiates from the corner of every street. And it most definitely radiated inside me. I was empowered by the rich history and culture which surrounded me, it seemed like I was forever learning not only about the city but also myself. And even though I didn’t know the language, I felt peacefully at home with the people around me.
Waking up to the smell of buttery croissants and hot coffee, followed by a leisurely stroll to the Musee De Louvre for a spot of art appreciation is a pretty wonderful way to start your day. Not an art person? Perhaps a bike ride around the gardens of the Eiffel Tower and finishing off with a warm crepe? There is literally something to fill the soul of whoever visits this city and that is something I find incredibly special.
If there’s anything you do in Paris, it’s spoil yourself. Have the desert, buy the dress, see that show and mostly, live in the moment. The city definitely taught me there’s nothing more important than doing something for your own happiness. Paris makes you feel like you can be anyone you want to be; a feeling that should be transferred into your life every single day no matter where you are on the globe.
Even being by yourself, you are never alone. The buzz of the Champs Elysees and the beauty of passing strangers, it really does make you feel a part of something much bigger. Navigating the streets and the metro is a very proud self-accomplishment when in this city, there is honestly something pretty empowering about dominating a foreign location. While, I was undeniably lost for majority of my time there, for the first time in my life I didn’t have the urge to be found.
Leaving for a holiday but returning with a mind full of inspiration, creativity and direction, I must thank you for that, Paris. It truly is a place of dreams and magic which needs to be experienced by everyone sometime in their life. My advice to you? Eat too many macaroons, drink plenty (and plenty) of wine, treat your eyes to some world-class art and fall in love with, well, yourself.
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